Macron's government seeks to give Islam a French makeover

The French government on Saturday is introducing a new body meant to reshape Islam in France and rid it of extremism

NICE, France -- The French government on Saturday forged ahead with efforts to reshape Islam in France and rid it of extremism, introducing a new body made up of clergy and laymen — and women — to help lead the largest Muslim community in western Europe.

With France bloodied by past Islamic extremist attacks, having hundreds of citizens who went to fight with jihadists in Syria in past years and thousands of French troops now fighting extremists in Africa, few disagree that radicalization is a danger. But critics also see the efforts as a political ploy to lure right-wing voters to President Emmanuel Macron’s centrist party ahead of April's presidential election.

The new body, called the Forum of Islam in France, is being introduced Saturday by the French Interior Ministry. Supporters say it will keep the country — and its 5 million Muslims — safe and free of foreign influence, and ensure that Muslim practices in France adhere to the country's cherished value of secularism in public life.

Its critics, including many Muslims who consider the religion a part of their French identity, say the government’s latest initiative is another step in an institutionalized discrimination process that holds the whole community responsible for violent attacks of a few and serves as another barrier in their public lives.